Adapter
by fififolle
Summary: Leo gets more than he bargained for when he interacts with an old friend of Peter’s… Sgt. CanadaConsole
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers**: I do not own these characters; this is written for fun, I make no money etc.

**Spoilers: Brotherhood, The Siege (1), Intruder**

**A/N: **This is my first **Sergeant Canada/Console** fic - LOL.

Yup, Chuck the Grodin Replacement Guy. Yup, the Console… and yup, if this is the first, who knows if there will be more… I hope this is just a start…

This ship was first declared as far as I know by **Drwho'srose**, and the name Leo is from **PartyLikeIt's1984**, both at GateWorld Forum. Cheers guys!

**Beta par excellence from Purpleyin, thanks.**

**Summary:** Leo gets more than he bargained for when he interacts with an old friend of Peter's… Sgt. Canada/Console.

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**Chapter One**

Sergeant Leo Dalhousie clapped the American technician on the shoulder. "Hey, how's it looking this morning?"

The dark haired engineer turned around to greet his superior. After a tedious shift, the guy couldn't wait to leave. "Morning, Sergeant. It was a really quiet night. Not even a blip on the long-range sensors."

The Canadian sergeant eased himself into the chair in front of the main console. "Good. Let me take control and then you can go." Leo transferred functionality to his laptop, and worked the console crystals with ease. Within moments, he had citywide systems under his own control. "Thanks, Jeff. I've got it now. If you hurry the Mess might still have some of those red pear things."

Alone now in the Control Room, Leo checked the time. Oh-seven-hundred Atlantis time. He felt fresh from a good night's sleep. It was the best he'd had since they'd fought the Wraith right here in the city under siege. That had been three weeks ago, making it three weeks since Peter Grodin had died. He still heard the voice in his dreams, the voice of Dr McKay over the radio, the emotion tangible.

"_Elizabeth…Peter Grodin was aboard the satellite."_

And then the Wraith had arrived and he'd gone onto autopilot - he'd hardly left his post for the first week. With Peter gone, it had fallen to him to lead the Control Room Team. It was only logical. But despite everyone's confidence in his ability, he was terrified he'd let Peter down. He wanted to do his best in Peter's honour. The Brit had invested a lot of time and energy training him up, imparting his expertise to him. He'd asked Peter for it - he'd wanted to know everything - and Peter had gladly obliged. In a way, he supposed it was now for the best, because sadly it had made him ready to step into Peter's place. All those extra hours on both their parts had been worth it after all, but he would take it all back if it meant Peter could still be here.

The desperation had now diminished, but the tension still remained. With the Senior Staff back on earth, he felt a great deal of responsibility. Even Dr Weir had hinted at it in her parting comment.

"_I know you'll do well, Sergeant."_

They both knew what she was referring to. Doing Peter's job. Sure, he wasn't the academic that Peter had been, but he was still an engineer. He'd been second-in-command in the Control Room for several months now, and knew almost everything there was to know. Peter had only had a couple of Control functions left to show him, but he'd have to work them out on his own now.

He'd been running the city on manual for three weeks. That was the way Peter had taught him. It was easier to see what was going on that way, keep track of all the readouts. But Peter had always said that the automatic mode was more efficient. The system ran itself; slightly more complex to monitor, but much more energy efficient. Peter had only briefly shown him that mode a few times, but he was going to have to do it on his own eventually. Couldn't keep putting it off. If he left it any longer, he would have to explain to McKay why he'd needed more power.

Taking a deep breath, he typed the command into his laptop, and touched a console crystal.

The streams of data on the Ancient large display screensaver changed colour and direction, and Leo held his breath.

His laptop cursor was flashing below the word that appeared.

_>Command>_

Uh oh, he didn't know he had to do this. Where were the city schematics?

He typed.

_city schematics_

Nothing seemed to happen. Oh no, what if he broke it? Zelenka was going to kill him. Again. Then the response appeared.

_>Identify user>_

Oh, great. It wanted some kind of logon? Password? He was doomed. Oh, well, here went nothing.

_Sergeant Leo Dalhousie, P.Eng_

He smiled. Why not? But the recognition was taking forever, and he wondered what else he could try. And then it appeared.

_>You are not Peter> _

He gulped. What was this? He glanced around nervously. Was this some kind of sick joke? But he was alone, and no one else had the faintest idea what he was doing. After staring at the screen for what seemed an eternity, he decided to carry on trying. He shrugged. If Peter could do it, so could he.

_No. I am not. Is that OK?_

Two could play at this game.

_ >I wish to be accessed by Peter> _

Aw, great. What was he going to say? Sorry, he's dead?

_Peter cannot access the system any more. Please show me the city schematics_

There. That should do it… Was he 'talking' to his computer?

_>Why not? What is his status?>_

Oh, for crying out loud.

_He is dead. Sorry_

He had to add that last bit. Not sure why. Just seemed right, somehow.

_>What is dead?>_

OK, this was really weird now. He thought really hard.

_He is no longer functioning. He can never be brought online again_

Not bad, considering. Nothing was happening on screen, though, not for a long minute.

_>That is hard for me to process> _

He sighed. You and me both, he thought. Somehow, it really made him feel so sad. Discussing Peter's death with the system was not something he was prepared for. This was not meant to be happening.

_I know. Can you show me city schematics?_

Now what? Was it going to let him in? He was beginning to wonder if he would be able to figure out this command function at all.

_>Will you adapt to me?>_

Was it just him, or did it sound plaintive? What was 'it' anyway?

_Sure. What do I need to do?_

What else could he say, really?

_>I will show you, Leo>_

There. Looked like he was getting somewhere. He smiled.

**TBC**

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**A/N:** Hope that whetted your appetite a little. Couple more chapters to go.  



	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Beta par excellence from Purpleyin, thanks.**

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**Chapter Two**

Leo Dalhousie rubbed the back of his neck, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. What was he doing here? Talking to some computer or, at best, perhaps an Artificial Intelligence. He didn't even know what he was talking to.

_What are you?_

Might as well be blunt.

_ >Is this a riddle?> _

Oh, great. Peter must have been teaching it tricks…

_No. I need to know. What are you? Are you the city control system? _

_>Peter identified me as the Sentience of the Console>_

Did he now? He never told me, that's for sure.

_Do you have a name?_

_ >I am never called by my name> _

Join the club.

_What is your name?_

_ >Peter never used my name> _

He wasn't giving up that easily.

_I want to use it_

_>I was given the name Asima by those you call the Ancients>_

_What is your purpose Asima?_

_>To Serve. To Protect. To Adapt> _

There again with the adapt thing. What if Peter was… had been… the only one who could do this?

_You will do this for me? To control the city for us?_

_ >For you Leo> _

He gulped.

_Just me?_

_>It is necessary to adapt to a primary user for maximum efficiency>_

Leo took a deep breath, and typed.

_That will be me from now on, Asima_

That was not an easy thing to type.

_>Then I must adapt to you, and you must adapt to me> _

_OK. Can we start?_

_>Place your hands on the Stargate Crystals>_

OK. Woah. Hold it right there. Just what is going on here? This is not just user preference settings, is it? Maybe I need to call Zelenka…

_What does it mean to adapt?_

_ >I must know you and you must know me> _

Yeah, yeah, cut all that alien mumbo jumbo.

_Please describe the process in detail, Asima_

_>In order to ensure fast response, I must know your form and speed. Your hands must be known to me. I must adapt to them>_

Well, OK, that didn't sound too bad. Odd, maybe. Disturbing even, but logical. Didn't quite explain everything though…

_How will I adapt to you?_

_ >That will come in time> _

That was definitely disturbing.

It seemed that Asima was impatient.

_>Your hands, Leo> _

Well, if he was going to be in charge around here, he needed to do this. Peter obviously had, and he could understand why he hadn't quite got around to mentioning it to anyone. Hadn't affected his ability to do his job. Seemed perfectly sane, despite enjoying spending time with McKay…

Leo reached out both hands and placed them gingerly on the two main crystals that controlled the Stargate functions. He had been holding his breath, but let it out slowly as his hands settled on the keys.

**TBC**

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**A/N:** Asima means protector… I'll probably post the last chapter tomorrow, if I don't, you may have to wait a week to find out what happens, and that would be just too cruel. So thanks for reading and final chapter, bar disaster, will be up soon.  



	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Here it is, the last part of this fic. Hope it doesn't disappoint. I've already had some good ideas from you, so maybe they will have a real adventure one day. For now, let's see how Leo and Asima get on... 

**Beta par excellence from Purpleyin, thanks.**

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**Chapter Three**

Leo wondered what it would be like to feel his hands scanned, and now he reckoned he knew. It was as if beams of light had passed in waves through his tissue. When the glow had dissipated, he figured it was safe to remove his hands from the crystals, but doing so caused the strangest thing to happen. He couldn't see it exactly, but he could sense the crystals near his fingers kind of… well, he supposed they were coming online, you might describe it, as if the console could tell where his hands were, and they were preparing in advance for his commands.

It was a little spooky, and a lot exciting. He couldn't resist waving his hands slowly across the crystals, not touching, just hovering here and there, and sensing the vibration of the energy beneath. He didn't do it for too long, in case someone came by and saw his peculiar behaviour.

On screen, a fresh prompt appeared. Again, there was something new and strange about it. Though he couldn't quite pinpoint what. Maybe it was the screen colour, maybe it was a subtle change in the font. It just seemed… more familiar.

_>Leo>_

Wow. He'd expected "welcome" or "at your command", or something. But this… it was just… nice.

_Asima_

This was weird. And yet it felt good.

_>Are you ready?>_

Leo grinned, appreciative of the eagerness he felt from the crystals under his hands.

_Sure. Why not?_

_>We have many tasks to achieve today>_

Over the next couple of hours, Asima took Leo through all the command functions, asking for his requirements and plans. As other team members came and went from the Control Room, carrying out their daily tasks, Leo worked with Asima to complete their "adaptations". He didn't deviate too much from what Peter had already set, apart from some additional security measures in the outer reaches of the city. With repairs well under way, and a shield possible, many distant sectors were being brought into use even as he worked.

_What next, Asima - waste disposal?_

_>No, Leo. You are tired. We will continue tomorrow. Adapting uses much energy> _

Well, OK, that was odd, but a welcome halt to proceedings. If he had to make one more decision he thought his brain would explode. Asima must have sensed his reaction time slowing down or something.

_Fine. Tomorrow. Back to normal now?_

Again, a long response time.

_>You wish to revert to manual?>_

Aw, great. He had no idea you could hurt the feelings of a console. Peter had thought it was sentient, though.

_No. I wish to remain on automatic, if that's OK. I just meant, back to the usual business of running the city_

If his Gran could see him now, placating a console…

_>Yes, of course Leo. I apologise. Peter was absent for some time. I calculated there was a high probability of being without an adapter. The probability was not acceptable>_

If that means she was scared, then fair enough.

_I don't plan to be absent any time soon_

He didn't know if she would understand, and in some ways, he wasn't just saying it to her. She wasn't the only one who was afraid. 'She'? Since when was Asima a 'she'? That name sounds a bit 'she'.

_>That is acceptable> _

_I'm glad, Asima_

_ >Then I am glad, also, Leo> _

0o0o0

As the days passed, Leo became comfortable communicating with Asima. He ran the city on automatic most of the time now, and he and Asima had adjusted the display layout so that all the technicians could work easily in the automatic mode. Asima did not interact with anyone else, and Leo told no one how he was managing the city. He was beginning to enjoy the sensation of the crystals anticipating his actions, and found himself working with Asima in new and yet seemingly natural ways.

0o0o0

The senior staff had returned on the Daedalus in the late hours of the evening before and Leo was looking forward to seeing what McKay made of the power fluctuations that had occurred in his absence.

As Leo arrived for first shift, he reviewed the diagnostic with the technician that had run it during the night. Satisfied, he dismissed the man, and settled in front of Asima. In his mind, she was never 'the console' anymore.

_Asima_

_>Leo> _

_Any problems this morning?_

_ >The city is well, Leo> _

_And you?_

_ >I am well also> _

Leo was pulled from his morning small talk by Elizabeth Weir addressing him.

"Sergeant? Good to see you. How were things while I was away?"

"Fine, Ma'am, no problems."

She nodded. "And you? Any problems… adapting?"

He smiled, thinking how Peter would have enjoyed the irony of her question. She couldn't…? No, Peter would never have told her, just as he wouldn't tell her. Well, it was Sergeant Leo Dalhousie P.Eng in charge now, and it looked like he was adapting just fine.

"No, Ma'am. No problems adapting… so far."

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**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this taster. I would dearly love to write more, get them a little closer ;) but a plot just never materialised. (What do you mean, have you never heard of PWP?) Perhaps even a little console whumpage. Please, please offer up your suggestions and ideas. Hope you liked it, and thanks for reading!  



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